Colleagues,
I’ve received several responses to last month’s message, and the common theme was, “thank you for bringing this to the surface.” I’ve thought more about the importance of a safe and healthy work environment in the past month – and the value of open, honest communication.
A couple of recent experiences reminded me about last month’s workplace violence topic and how necessary good teamwork is.
While I was visiting a patient in one of our ICUs, another patient managed to get out of bed and was walking to the door of the room, lines stretched and obviously confused. A staff member was nearby, but I knew immediately that they would need extra hands. Everyone else was busy in their patients’ rooms, so I ran down to a nearby room and found a nurse at a patient’s bedside and motioned that I needed help. She immediately came to assist with the patient while I went to the nurses’ station to get reinforcements. In just a few minutes, five people had rallied to guide this confused patient back to bed safely.
This scenario reminded me of another situation I witnessed around this same time. A friend and I were taking an “oxygen break” during our racquetball match, and I started watching a pick-up basketball game. There were eight guys of all ages, races, and most likely, backgrounds, playing a fun, competitive 4-on-4 game. It was interesting to watch the younger guys guard those who were “senior citizens.” They were competitive, but also careful. They obviously respected each other, and they complimented good shots and defensive moves, even if it wasn’t their team.
Just like basketball, nursing is a team sport, and an effective team is built on trust and respect.
Caring for our patients takes commitment, respect, trust and professionalism from the entire care team, not just nurses. When personal or professional frustrations manifest as hostility or incivility toward others, this trust is eroded, and the common goal is jeopardized. And, for us, the stakes are high – if the team had not rallied to help with that confused patient, the outcome could have been very different.
Teams get to know each other over time and learn personal triggers, how to lighten the mood, who to tease and what to tease them about, topics to avoid, and each member’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s not an accident that champion sports teams usually have players who have been together for a long time.
The pick-up game I watched was harmonious, but understandably not polished, as most of the guys had probably never played together before. Our teams are experiencing a similar phenomenon because of turnover, new team members, employees who float to different units, resident rotations, and temporary members such as in-house agency and contract labor. This dynamic sometimes makes our teams feel a little off-balance and less cohesive.
Being rude or disrespectful or having a “not my problem” attitude in an already stressful situation is a recipe for disaster. One of the best ways we can all help improve our teams is to retain current employees and recruit high-caliber ones to a satisfying and enjoyable work environment where we are all working toward a common goal of outstanding patient care.
I’d like to hear your ideas about how we can make this happen. In addition to feedback on these messages, I am creating more ways for you to share your thoughts on topics that are important to you. First, we are embedding a CNO Advisory component to the ambulatory and inpatient NQUEST councils where clinical areas have representation. If you would like to be part of this group, please let your manager know.
We will also be implementing another way for me to hear from you with bi-monthly “Talk with Tammy” sessions. The first of these small group sessions will be from 11:00 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, July 17th. The next one will be from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19. You can sign up at this link – each session will be in-person and limited to 10 participants to enable us to have good discussions and get to know each other.
The schedule will alternate between early and late morning, and you are welcome to participate in any that fit your schedule. We hope to also have virtual opportunities for nurses around the state and those who’d like to participate when they’re off work. For more information about these Talk with Tammy sessions, contact Theresa Brown. I look forward to these opportunities to discuss ways we can make UAMS the best place for nurses to work in Arkansas. As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts by dropping me an email.
Tammy Jones, PHD, RN, NE-BC
Chief Nursing Officer
Associate Vice Chancellor for Patient Care Services & Clinical Operations
Perioperative, Interventional & Imaging Services Division